Monday, September 24, 2007

FAREWELL, MARCEL: A 100-WORD OBITUARY

Marcel Marceau, the incomparable French mime, passed away September 22 at the age of eighty-four.

Marceau (né Mangel), a French Jew who escaped the Nazis and fought with the Free French during World War II, brought the art of mime to standing-room-only crowds, earning worldwide acclaim. His waif-like character Bip, in part inspired by Chaplin’s Little Tramp, was recognizable to millions.

In addition to founding the Colorado School of Mimes, Marceau was the model for Michael Jackson’s “moonwalk,” based on Marceau’s “Walking in the Wind” sketch.